Legacy of Steel

24

Outside Sara paused to throw on her cloak and fill her lungs with the crisp morning air. From her vantage point high in the vallenwood tree, she could see most of Solace and out to the fields beyond where the tomb glistened in the early sunlight.

The Inn of the Last Home was the largest building in Solace and sat nearly forty feet off the ground in the secure branches of a tremendous vallenwood tree. The Majeres had taken loving care of the inn and its tree over the years, and their attention had been rewarded by a steady stream of customers that came to enjoy Caramon's brown ale, Tika's inestimable cooking, and the excellent service.

A broad set of stairs wound down the convoluted tree trunk to the ground, and Sara went down as fast as her legs could carry her. A euphoria of joy, of power, of direction energized her muscles and sent her racing across the snowy fields. Without stopping, she pulled the dragon-scale thong out of her tunic, clasped her hand around it, and sent her mental summons winging out to find Cobalt.

She wanted to go to the Tomb of the Last Heroes to see it in the daylight while she waited for her dragon to come, so she turned her racing steps toward the tomb. She felt so strong, she ran three times around the large building before coming to a breathless halt on the stone steps.

In the clear morning light, the marble building gleamed as pure and white as the new-fallen snow around it. Nothing looked different. The gold and silver doors still shut in the darkness behind them, the small lamps still hung on the wall, the names of the dead still made their dark lines against the flawless stone. Yet something had changed in Sara. She felt it and relished the change. The emptiness she had carried within her for almost nine long years was gone. The purposelessness she had dragged with her like an empty shell had cracked off and fallen away. Steel loved her and forgave her; Steel had given her a reason to continue.

Excited voices drew her attention away from the tomb and she turned to see two small figures dashing toward her. Badger and Lemmi grinned from ear to pointed ear to see her.

"Sara!" they shouted. The two kender were dressed warmly against the winter cold in fur jackets and thick leggings of brilliant yellow. Their cheeks glowed apple red and their eyes, she noticed in the daylight, were summer green. They looked so bright and cheerful, she laughed to see them.

"When can we see your dragon?" Badger wanted to know before she could draw breath to say hello.

"In just a few minutes, I hope," Sara replied. "He's on his way."

"You're calling him here? Just outside of Solace? He's on blue, isn't he?" Lemmi asked. "Is he mean?"

Badger bared his teeth and imitated a rather highpitched dragon growl. "Of course he is, you doorknob. He's a blue. They're all evil."

Sara held up her hand. "Well, some are worse or better than others. Cobalt was badly injured last year and almost died. He is much calmer and more mellow than when I knew him years ago. He may wait to say hello before he eats you."

Badger's eyes widened with excitement. "Could he give us a ride first?"

"I'll have a talk with him. He may be grateful for what you did for me. If he's in a good mood, he just might."

Both kender looked delighted with the suggestion and settled down to wait with Sara for the dragon's arrival.

"Did you know your dagger is missing?" Lemmi asked after a moment of quiet.

Sara glanced down at her belt and noticed for the first time her empty sheath. A little suspicion jiggled in her thoughts. "Well! I wonder how that happened. I must have mislaid it. I don't suppose you know where I could find another one to take with me while I look for my friend."

"Oh, I've got one!" Badger offered, pleased to be of help. He searched through his pouches and pockets and belt loops until he found what he was looking for. "Here, you can have this one. I found it somewhere. It's a very nice one," and he handed Sara a dagger that looked exactly like her old one.

The woman shook her head. What would Krynn be like without the irrepressible, sticky-fingered, guileless, child-hearted kender?

Lemmi suddenly pointed her finger toward the east and exclaimed, "There he is!" and out of the rising sun came a dark shape winging fast on the rising breeze.

Large wings rustled overhead, and a gust of wind nearly knocked the kender over. The ground trembled as the big dragon settled to the ground.

"Sara!" he trumpeted. "Are you well? What's happened? Your summons came so fast and so strong, it nearly knocked me out of the air."

Taking a running leap, she sprang up his leg and into his saddle before she explained. "Yes, I'm fine, Cobalt. We're going to find Derrick. I think I know where to look." She threw her arms around his neck. "I am so glad to see you."

Her eyes happened to glance down at the two kender, and she saw the crestfallen looks on their faces. "We'll be back soon," she called down, "and I promise I'll talk to him."

Their expressions brightened considerably, and they waved as the dragon pushed off into the air.

"Talk to me about what?" he asked suspiciously.

"About taking them for a ride," Sara said. She had to purse her lips hard to keep from laughing.

"Absolutely not!" the blue roared, pumping harder toward the mountains. "I will not carry those little pick-pockets. They're worse than children, and I hate children."

Sara ran her hand down his neck to placate him. "Hear me out first, then you can decide." Knowing her experience and her decisions would affect him, too, she told him everything that happened from the moment he dropped her off on the hillside.

He listened quietly from beginning to end, his ears cocked back to catch every word. They were over the mountains and approaching the swamp before she finished. He stayed quiet for some time after, his mind carefully ruminating over her tale.

Whether he believed it or not did not matter to him. What made him accept her story was the change he sensed in her, in her voice, in her happiness, in the new strength he felt coursing through her. Cobalt had long ago given up any thought of serving Takhisis. When the dark goddess abandoned the world and his first rider died, a part of Cobalt died, too. Or rather, with Sara's arrival, a part of him was reborn. Now he cared only for her, and for her he would give his life if he needed to. If she said her adopted son left her a legacy and she intended to use it, then by all the powers of Krynn, Cobalt knew he would stand with her.

"All right," he said at last. "I'll give those kender a ride-a short one, that is."

Smiling to herself, Sara guided the dragon over the swamp. Although she did not know the exact location of the clearing where the giant dwelt, she thought she could spot the place or even the trail leading to it from the air. In the morning sunlight, trails and landmarks were fairly easy to spot from the air.

Cobalt swept low over the swamp and began a systematic sweep of the borders. It was nearly noon before Sara saw what she was looking for-a trail beaten through the undergrowth and trees. She pointed it out to Cobalt, and he tilted his wings and glided lower over the path.

In minutes, they overflew the clearing. Sara groaned her dismay. She hoped the battle with the giant had not yet taken place, or that it truly was nothing more than a vision of possibilities, and she would find Derrick still fuming in the swamp. But just as she had witnessed in her vision, the giant's body lay sprawled in the trampled mud. Close by lay two smaller bodies, clad in armor.

"Sara, there are goblins down there," Cobalt hissed.

She took a closer look and saw what he meant. A party of perhaps ten ill-clad, unkempt goblins was creeping along the trail into the giant's clearing. Several of the boldest ones were already pawing over the pile of spoils. They looked up in alarm as the dragon's shadow passed over them.

Cobalt did not need to wait for instructions. He folded his wings and dropped like a stone into the clearing, where he landed heavily on top of the dead giant. The electrical energy of his dragon breath surged within him. He held his breath for as long as he could, then belched forth a tremendous bolt of power that seared into the largest cluster of goblins. A clap of thunder shook the clearing.

The massive stroke of lightning slammed into three goblins and sent their charred bodies flying into their companions. The other goblins squealed in terror. They could face dead giants, but not living dragons that spit lightning. They scrambled madly over one another in their effort to escape the clearing. The three by the pile of treasure cowered down behind the boxes, too terrified or too greedy to run.

Sara pulled her sword free from its scabbard on the saddle and slid off. The three goblins by the piles were too close to the knights' bodies for Cobalt to sear them so she went after them herself while the dragon dealt with the rest of the mob.

The goblins saw her coming and drew their own small weapons. One lone female human was more to their liking. But if they hoped to dispatch her quickly and flee out of the clearing while the dragon was distracted elsewhere, Sara immediately dashed their hopes. Giving a furious yell, she charged the three creatures and lopped the head off the nearest one. The others took one look at the head rolling at their feet and whirled to flee.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Sara shouted forcefully. She caught the second in three running strides and cut him nearly in half as she passed by. The last goblin dashed as fast as his bowed legs could run across the muddy clearing toward the trail.

Sara stopped, pulled the dagger from her belt, and hurled it toward the running goblin. The knife caught him neatly between the shoulder blades and knocked him sprawling. The clearing fell silent.

Sara looked around in satisfaction. The goblins were gone or dead, and Cobalt was busy cleaning up. A night of searching the swamp had made him very hungry.

She hurried to the two knights where they lay near the treasure they had fought over. One quick glance told her the Solamnic was already dead. His face was white and rigid with death; a pool of blood congealed under his body. Sadly Sara covered his face with his cloak.

Afraid of what she might find, Sara slowly knelt by Derrick's body and checked his pulse under his jaw. To her everlasting delight, his skin was still warm and pliable, and a weak heartbeat fluttered under the pressure of her fingers.

"Cobalt!" she shouted.

The dragon hurried to her summons. Swiftly Sara bound Derrick's wounds, then bundled the young knight in her own cloak. With Cobalt's help, she lifted him into the saddle. She held him tightly as the dragon flew back to Solace.

Cobalt gave the citizens of Solace a terrible fright by landing at the edge of the vallenwoods. Voices rose in shouts of warning and fear at the sight of a large blue dragon dropping out of the sky. People came running to investigate. Ignoring the hubbub, Cobalt delivered Sara and the wounded knight to the foot of the inn. As Caramon and Tika rushed out the door, he lifted his head, gave them a wink, and flew away before the people decided to take arms against him.

Tika threw aside her initial shock and ran down the stairs to help Sara. Caramon followed more slowly. Together the three carried Derrick up to the inn and put him to bed. After a careful examination, Tika and Sara found the young man was very lucky. He had had enough sense to put a tourniquet on his leg just long enough to stop the bleeding before he passed out. He was still unconscious, pale from loss of blood and exposure, but with care, food, and bed-rest, Tika thought he would survive.

He was sleeping soundly, his leg bandaged and his minor wounds cleaned, when Sara left him in Tika's care and went to call Cobalt again. There was one more thing she wanted to do before sunset.

They flew back to the clearing and collected the Solamnic's body and the pile of spoils from the giant's hut. The knight had fought well against the giant, and Sara felt he did not deserve to be left as carrion for goblins and swamp creatures. Although the combination of two humans and a pile of boxes made a heavy load for the dragon, Cobalt carried it all without complaint back to Solace.

By this time, Caramon had explained to the town's elders that the blue dragon who kept popping in and out was not dangerous and was actually helping a friend of his. When Cobalt returned with the dead man and the treasure, there were wary but willing volunteers to help Sara untie the body and the collection of bags and boxes. The giant's spoils were put in the inn for safekeeping until Sara could decide what to do about them. The Solamnic knight was buried with honor in a small grave-yard just outside the town, near the graves of Sturm Brightblade and Tanin Majere.

The last thing Cobalt did before retiring for a well-deserved rest was take Lemmi and Badger Coltsfoot for a ride. Keeping his grumbling to himself, he flew them over Crystalmir Lake, circled Solace, and passed over the edge of the vast Darkenwood. By the time he landed, the two kender were nearly incoherent with excitement.

Sara scratched his eye ridges in thanks. "Rest well, my friend," she said softly. "I promise not to bother you again, at least tonight."

The dragon huffed a cloud of steam. "Was no bother," he said gruffly, and he left to seek a secluded cave for some peace and quiet.

That night Sara stayed in a chair beside Derrick, keeping watch by his side.

Day was creeping soundlessly into the inn when the young knight woke up to find himself in a bed in a strange place, with no idea how he got there. He lay still and gazed at the ceiling for a long time. He remembered the hateful circumstances that brought him to death's door, but he could not remember anything beyond tightening the tourniquet on his leg. He should be dead.

Someone moved beside him, and he turned his head to see Sara in the chair by his bed. Her eyes slowly opened, like curtains pulled back on a sunny window. He stared at her in astonishment. Something had happened to her that had erased years from her face. Her gray eyes were brighter and more full of life than he remembered. Lines of worry were gone; the drab color of her skin had freshened to sun-kissed peach; the tension he had always seen in her expression had softened to a shimmering joy. Instead of the condemnation he expected to see in her face, she gave him a dazzling smile.

She moved her chair closer and took his hand in hers. "Derrick…"

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. "I shouldn't have left like that. "

Her fingers tightened over his. "No, probably not. But I understand why you felt betrayed." She leaned forward to rest her elbows on the edge of the bed so she could see his face. "Derrick, please believe that I never intended to deliberately mislead all of you. I came to like you all much more than I ever imagined, and I saw a great deal of potential in each one of you." She shook her head at the irony of her emotions. "I was hoping that if I stayed just a little longer in Neraka, I could help you see that the Knights of Takhisis cannot offer you what you want, that there is more that you can do for this world then serve a missing goddess."

He gave a grim laugh and threw his arm up over his eyes. "I can't even be good at that. I turned on a partner, Sara. I fought him for mere treasure simply because he disagreed with me and because he challenged me. And I hated it! But I couldn't stop myself. Is that what the Dark Knights have done to me?"

He lowered his arm and met her sympathetic gaze with bitter eyes. "I killed that knight, didn't I?" When she nodded, he gritted his teeth as if in pain. "We shouldn't have fought over something so insignificant. All we wanted to do was dispose of the spoils so the goblins wouldn't get it. But neither of us would budge. A compromise seemed so weak. All I could think of was trying to obey the Code and my oath to the knighthood and how that treasure would help the talon buy new weapons and food."

"What did the Solamnic want to do with it?"

"Give it back to the victims. I told him that would be impossible. Much of the treasure had been there for years. Many of the victims were probably in the walls of that foul hut. He still insisted he knew some of them-like those two girls who fled when we attacked the giant. But he wanted it all! That didn't seem fair. I had fought for it, too."

Even as he tried to explain, Sara heard the edge of anger creeping back into his voice. Derrick heard it, too and bit off his last complaint. "Gods, I sound pathetic. I'll never make a good knight."

"No, I don't think so either," Sara said lightly, and she laid a finger on his lips to stem any response. "Despite what you think now, you are too honorable for Takhisis. You made a mistake, but you have survived to rectify it. Now, since you cannot move from that bed, you will lie there and listen to me. There is something else I think I can offer you."

First, to clear any lingering doubts between them, she explained her reasons for going to Neraka in the first place, then once again she told about her experience in the tomb. Derrick lay still at first, then struggled upright and stared at her in growing wonder.

When she finished, she pulled out the star jewel from her tunic and laid it in his hand. "I am going to use this sign from Steel as a beginning, and I want you to join me I am going to form a third order in Krynn, a legion if you will, of men and women who are dedicated to selflessness and service. We will help where we are needed, and we will strive to do what is right, not what some power-hungry general or antiquated code demands we do. It will have to be a secret order for now, to protect our members. If you leave the Knights of Takhisis, you will be condemned as a traitor, as I am. But if you join me, we will do what we can to help the people of Krynn in a way the Knights of Takhisis and Solamnia never could."

Sara heard a slight sound at the door and swiftly twisted around to see Tika and Caramon standing in the doorway, their expressions frozen in rapt attention. Tika held a forgotten breakfast tray in her hands.

"Great gods of Krynn, Sara," Caramon said slowly. "Is this something you really want to do?"

"More than anything." She rose to her feet and faced her friends. "For the first time since Steel left, I have something to believe in again. This is something I can do for Krynn, not just for me or for Steel. I believe it will work."

Derrick cleared his throat. "You could call it the Legion of Steel."

Sara's fingers touched the star jewel in his hand. "That will do perfectly."

"legion of Steel," Tika murmured. "I like it."

Caramon didn't say anything, and Tika could see his mind was at work. She brushed past him and set the tray of food on a small table beside the bed. She left again to fetch some tarbean tea, and by the time she returned with it, Caramon was still standing by the door.

He seemed to stand a little straighter, and his face glowed from an inner resolution. "It's been done before, you know," he was telling Sara and Derrick. "In fact, both knightly orders began with visions and quests. Why not a third? Stay here, Sara. Make Solace your headquarters. My inn and my aid are yours for the asking."

Tika couldn't have been more pleased. She was an excellent judge of character and circumstance, and something about this whole vision and legacy seemed right. Echoing her husband's enthusiasm, she carried the teapot and mugs to the bed. "You would do well to follow her, young Derrick. You may not find wealth or glory in her service, but you will attain honor and self- respect and perhaps do some good for this war-torn land."

A hint of a smile erased some of Derrick's sadness. "That was all I wanted from the beginning." He held out his hand to Sara, who clasped it fiercely. "If you will have me, I will join your legion… heart and soul."

And so it happened that the Legion of Steel began with one and doubled its size in just one morning. But Sara was not content to leave it at that. She decided to try to increase her numbers-by returning to Neraka.

Caramon and Tika were appalled when she gathered her cloak two mornings later and told them what she was going to do.

Caramon thrust himself between the door and Sara and crossed his arms, an immovable wall. "Sara, don't be a fool! If you go back to Neraka, they will kill you. Then your legion will be nothing more than one wounded renegade boy!"

Sara lifted her eyebrows. "I don't think so," she said mildly. "General Abrena sent me here in the first place She is expecting me to return. I will go back just long enough to talk to the members of the talon. I have a feeling one or two others would make better legionnaires than Dark Knights. After all we have been through together, they deserve a chance to change their minds."

"But how will you escape the city again? You yourself said the fortress is heavily guarded," Tika pointed out.

Caramon jabbed a thick finger at Sara before she had the opportunity to reply. "And how would you keep the ones who do not join from betraying you?"

Tika nodded vigorously and added her own protests. "And how do you know the lord knights have not already learned of your treason? You could be arrested the instant you stepped foot in the city."

"I know, I know!" Sara held up her hands to ward off the barrage of questions. "Or, rather, I don't really know. I am aware of the danger. I've spent more than three months in Neraka! But this is something I have to do. For them. For me. To prove to them that I did not deceive them, that honor can be one's life."

Caramon slowly pulled his lips up in a smile. "Sturm would have liked you."

Tika looked from one to the other and knew the argument was lost. She had rarely known anyone with Sara's persistence, and if Caramon was ready to back down this quickly, there wasn't much point in continuing alone.

"Well," she said, rummaging briskly around the bar, "if you are going, you'd better take some food with you. Don't worry about Derrick. We'll get him back on his feet. Just keep that dragon close to you. I've never seen a blue as devoted as that one." She shouted the last sentence as she walked into the kitchen and returned carrying a small loaf of bread.

Sara watched, bemused, as she packed the bread, a bottle of ale, cheese, and some dried apples in a bag and walked across the floor. "What do you want to do with that pile of boxes from the giant's hoard?"

Taking the bag with a word of thanks, Sara said, "Let Derrick decide." She pulled on her fur-lined cloak. She was about to walk out the door, then hesitated and stopped in front of Caramon. "Caramon… if something happens so I don't make it back… will you take my information about General Abrena and the knights to the remnants of the Solamnics?"

He regarded her gravely before moving aside. "There are some I know in Sancrist. I will tell them."

"Thank you, my friends," Sara said and left before either Caramon or Tika had another chance to change her mind.